Everyone in America has heard about that infamous Chinese spy balloon that first crossed over Alaska and down through Canada before making its way across much of the Lower Forty-Eight, from Montana to Missouri to South Carolina. The inept Biden Administration managed to wait until the balloon was completely past the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean before bringing it down. Their recovery options at that point were basically limited to hoping that some of the debris would wash up on shore.
Yet, this highly visible display of President Biden’s incompetence when it comes to keeping Americans safe from the Chinese threat is mild in comparison to other ways in which China is running circles around American military superiority. It is no wonder a leaked memo from four-star General Mike Minihan included his prediction that the United States would be in armed conflict with China within two years.
Despite this impending threat, 80 million Americans use the Chinese social media platform TikTok every month, amounting to 80 million more spy balloons on American soil. Meanwhile, American companies are investing heavily in Chinese development of artificial intelligence, which is certain to play a large part in any future conflict with the Middle Kingdom. These well-known American companies like Intel and Qualcomm claim that they are only investing in China’s private sector, but even a high schooler could tell you that there is no such thing as a true private sector in a Communist regime like China. Intel and Qualcomm are investing directly in the Chinese Communist Party. If and when Chinese AI is ever mobilized against American military personnel or civilians, the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of these unpatriotic American companies.
War is a horrible thing, and America should take great steps to avoid it if a reasonable peaceful solution is possible. However, we must be prepared for the very real possibility of facing our greatest foreign adversary in armed conflict. Such a struggle would involve new dimensions of conflict that the world has never known, which is why Americans must be serious about the threats we face.
